Smooth Talker

Parker is full of gibberish lately - he could talk your ear off! Jajajaba this and dadaya that! We have been really working on mama, but he refuses to let it be heard! I have decided he will say it when he needs to - so apparently I have been doing my job correctly :D I also figured it was time for another video of him walking... which he has also smoothed out.

Parker has also been waking up in the middle of the night again. Luckily, he is not fully awake so I am in and out in seconds. Though, that still requires getting out of bed :S

Falling Leaves and Baby Pumpkins

The clouds and rain finally lifted for an evening and let the sun shine! Therefore, creating a perfect opportunity for some great fall photos. Parker was much more interested in what Milo was doing and didn't seem to care much about the pumpkin or leaves that engulfed him. It was rare to see him sit for that long just watching since he is constantly on the go now. He has walking figured out and uses it about 80% of the time now. Of course, he still finds interesting ways to give himself a black eye by falling onto toys (luckily you can't see it well in the pic). I am sure this weekend will be the last of going outside in just a sweatshirt... winter will soon be rearing it's bitterly cold head our way.

Ladies and Gentleman...

We have a WALKER!! Parker is 11 months old today and has been perfecting his walking. It's not great yet, but he is definitely on a roll. 2 weeks from his first steps and he is using walking as his form of transportation now (with a few bumps along the way of course). He looks a bit drunk as he goes, but balance is quite a feat to get a hold of :)

Seasons Come & Go

Well, Summer was here and Winter has come. Oh, but Fall was here for a couple days and decided - eh - not so much. I know that Fall/ Winter has arrived not only by the firey leaves, geese flying south, dropping temps and the pumpkin on my counter, but I bought hot chocolate today. Most importantly, drum roll please... it's snowing with an expected 2-4 inches. Oh the joys of South Dakota. Having said that I consider the snow to be arriving on time even though it's not quite mid-October yet, but what do you expect? Though, it being South Dakota I am sure we will hit 60 degrees yet this month as a kiss good-bye. Hey, it could be worse :)

Sweet Memories

As November approaches I can’t help but sit in amazement of how fast this last year of my life has gone and how much it has changed. There is no greater appreciation for life as your baby in your arms. I remember November 18, 2008 like it was yesterday. The day is still so clear in my head that I almost don’t even recognize this little dinosaur that I have now. Children are special, but Parker has something that makes him so extraordinary – a part of Preston. Parker truly is a gift from God because he was given to us after Preston’s near-death experience. Parker showed up only 2 weeks after Preston’s truck accident which left his truck in shambles and his soul shaken. Instead of God taking my husband he gave me another life to value more than mine. The pregnancy went so smooth except for the exhausting 24/7 ‘morning’ sickness. Parker arrived 6 days early to my surprise since I was convinced he would be the butterball on Thanksgiving. He has grown up so quick in a matter of (almost) 11 months. He is an active, hungry, rough and tumble little boy who astounds me each and every day. If we kept growing at the rate of an infant’s first year we would be 23 feet tall!

It's Been Nice Kiddo

Parker has been sleeping wonderfully! I am not sure if I should believe him or if he is teasing us this week. Since he received a shot for his ears he is sleeping all night! Generally, he goes to bed about 8:00pm and wakes up between 4:45-6am. I love it! Now, I would probably get so much more out of it if I went to bed when he does. However, with cards coming out of my ears my nights usually end around 11:00pm. Once November arrives I will have a few more quiet nights since all my orders are for 1st Birthdays in November. So, each night that Parker sleeps more than 4 hours at a time is such a blessing!

Some Time Away!

We went to the Cities this weekend for some time away. We spent Saturday at the Mall of America and Sunday at the last day of the Renassiance Festival. We stayed on the 17th floor of our hotel and spent our Sunday morning playing with Parker int the pool! We hit the mall pretty hard. Not only did we spend all day shopping, but we got 'hooked-up' with tickets to the underwater aquarium and 20pt tickets for the rides. We went with a group of friends and a couple of them used to work security there so they met up with some previous coworkers. We also went to the BODIES exhibit that was in town. That was an experience in itself! Sunday was our first time to the festival. It was the last day and rainy, but very interesting to see people dressed up. We ate turkey legs and watched some jousting. Parker did so well this weekend it was amazing. I wore him on my back a lot of the time so I didn't have to fight the stroller. He takes great naps that way too! Well, home now and ready for bed!!

Step by Step

Parker is getting brave!! Last night he decided to take a couple steps and I amazingly caught it on camera! He tumbles fast, but it won't be much longer and he will be walking. I also caught another attempt that ended in a face plant. Enjoy the videos and the amazing process of growing and learning.

Little Glow Bug - What is that about? Well, I wanted to create something a little different and yet special to Parker. Grandpa Bob calls him firefly once in awhile and that kind of sparked it. Parker had jaundice right out of the hospital and the levels just kept rising. 4 days after he was born we had to ‘hook him up’ to a billi blanket for another 4 days. He was plugged into an outlet 24 hours a day in our living room. Already emotional, you can about imagine the tears I shed over that episode. I have a baby and he is already broken! So the name comes from our Parker illuminating the room day and night at the pinnacle of his first week of life. He may not like the name later in life, but as most of you said to us – you can torture your own kids!

Most of you know I started a handmade card business mid-July. I get most of my traffic from online and more specifically a forum I am apart of at babycenter.com. I have a few here and there from family. I have been really busy lately as November nears. I got 3 orders out this week, one last week, and have 2 more going towards the end of next week. There is no logic to working on these cards while Parker is awake as he loves to help. The only time I get is from about 8pm (his bedtime) until I go to bed. Not bad, but sometimes not possible. I have also been blessed with a husband who will help when I really need it. It will be interesting to see where this entrepreneurial idea goes after the end of the year. I am hoping to move to Facebook and Etsy to draw some traffic to the website. I just received the opportunity to be providing much of the wedding stationary for a friend of mine. I have been helping her quite a bit with ideas and input since her recent engagement. I am actually very excited to be helping – I am a sucker for planning and organizing. Well, if anyone gets a minute check out Life Notes at http://www.lifenotecards.webs.com/. There is a lot of work to be done, but it’s coming along pretty well for only being officially up for 2 months.

Mr. Sandman

Last night was a momentous occasion in our house. Parker for the first time in his 10.5 months of life slept 11 hours straight. Too bad I didn’t take advantage of it since I didn’t go to bed until midnight, but I will take what I can get! After fighting an ear infection for 2 weeks and sleeping worse than a newborn for a week, he rewarded us. I can’t help, but think that the shot he received Tuesday for those stubborn ears had something to do with it. He has been so happy in the evenings since and last night ate like a champ. Parker probably ate twice what he normally eats and magically left none to be found in his baby crevices or the high chair. I am in awe. It’s strange to think I have had a baby that wakes up 1-3 times a night since he was 3 months old. I only say that because he spoiled us in the beginning by sleeping through the night by 8 weeks. I thought, “Wow, we are lucky to have a sleeper.” That ended a little too soon with his first cold, which also set the tone for the following 7 months. I guess the real test will be tonight. Can he do it again? I am not getting my hopes up because he IS still a baby.